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The NBA trade machine strikes again! This time in the form of a new Toronto Raptors trade that could land a seven-time All-Star in Canada.
Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers remain at an impasse regarding former's future with the team. The veteran point guard has made it clear that he is ready to part ways with the Portland franchise in favor of the Miami Heat. However, so far a trade hasn't materialized.
With teams preparing to report to training camp in the coming weeks for the October tip-off of the 2023-24 NBA season, a resolution seems unlikely. Despite that, fans have continued to run various scenarios through the NBA trade machine. According to the Locked on NBA podcast, the Raptors are among the teams interested in Lillard.
So far, of course, he and his agent have remained adamant that he has no intentions of playing for any team other than the Miami Heat. With that being said, there is an NBA trade machine deal that works with the Toronto Raptors which we will explore.
With a salary of $45.64 million, a trade for Lillard would need to include both OG Anunoby and Gary Trent Jr, whose salaries add up to just over $36M. In order to offset the difference, we added Otto Porter Jr from the Raptors, and Keon Johnson from the Blazers with the trade being successful!
Check out the NBA trade machine deal below, which could also wind up including picks if the Raptors choose to package Anunoby and Trent together.
Looking at the latest confirmed reports of Damian Lillard trade rumors outside of NBA Trade Machine simulations
So far this offseason, there have been a number of reports indicating that Damian Lillard has no intentions of playing anywhere other than Miami. Despite that, the latest from Marc Spears indicates that there may be some movement behind the scenes.
Of course, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver notably took aim at Lillard and Harden this summer. As he explained, as a commissioner he wants to see players play through their contracts rather than forcing their way to teams of their choosing.
Since then, Spears has heard talk of other contenders in the Damian Lillard sweepstakes, which is certainly going to draw more fans to the NBA trade machine. As he explained on ESPN's NBA Today show:
"Well, the latest I'm hearing is that the Blazers have been talking to several teams... that also suggests that they could be willing to send him somewhere that's not the Miami Heat, which is certainly very curious."
The big question, of course, is whether or not any team will want to pull the trigger knowing Lillard may not be happy. As many fans may recall, however, Kevin Garnett initially didn't want to go to the Boston Celtics either, and the move certainly was a good one for him.
(Suggested Reading: Fans call out Damian Lillard)
